Champagne Fever

Before competing under National Hunt rules, Champagne Fever made an appearance on the amateur point-to-point circuit winning over three miles at the Quakerstown meeting on 24 April 2011.

[12] The gelding was ridden by Ruby Walsh for the first time when he started 11/8 favourite for the Grade I Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December.

In the Grade II Slaney Novice Hurdle at Naas Racecourse in January he started 1/4 favourite but ran poorly and finished third, forty lengths behind the winner Rule The World.

Ridden by Paul Townend, he ran in his customary style, leading throughout the race and winning by one and three quarter lengths from Bright New Dawn at odds of 2/1.

Champagne Fever made his third appearance at the Cheltenham Festival on 11 March when he started 11/4 joint favourite with Trifolium for the Arkle Challenge Trophy in a field which also included the 2012 Champion Hurdle winner Rock On Ruby.

On his final appearance of the season, the gelding started 5/4 favourite for the Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown but finished sixth of the seven runners behind the British-trained six-year-old God's Own.

On his first appearance against more experienced chasers, Champagne Fever started 8/11 favourite against six opponents in the Clonmel Oil Chase over two and a half miles on 13 November.

Townend said that the winner "jumped like a buck" whilst Mullins expressed himself "delighted" at the performance and added that "the ultimate aim is the Gold Cup".

On his return to Ireland he started odds-on favourite for the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles, but fell at the last fence when disputing the lead with the eventual winner Don Cossack.

He took the lead at the ninth of the fourteen fences, opened up a clear advantage, and was eased down by Paul Townend in the closing stages to win by four and a quarter lengths.

The gelding was sent to England in March to contest the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but failed to recover from being bitten on the lip by a stablemate on the flight from Ireland and was unable to take part in the race.

Champagne Fever, ridden as usual by Ruby Walsh, won by a head from the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Lord Windermere.